AUDIOBOOK
About
In the post-apocalyptic, neo-medieval city of Ark, speech is constrained to five hundred sanctioned words. If somewhere were to speak outside that approved lexicon, they'd face banishment. The only exceptions to this rule are the Wordsmith and his apprentice, Letta. Together, they are the keepers and archivists of all language. But when Letta's master dies, she is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith and finds the situation more complicated than she knew. While fulfilling her charge to collect and save words, she uncovers a sinister plan to suppress language and to rob Ark's citizens of their power of speech. Soon, she realizes that it's now not only up to her to save Ark's language but also its entire culture...
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Reviews
"[The List] is warm, original, but most of all a tremendous page-turner."
School Library Association
"This book is important because it targets the dangers of global warming and the power of communication, love and expression. Without these words that we have, our lives would be unimaginably different. I would definitely recommend this book to all keen readers out there."
The Guardian (UK)
"A novel that truly stands apart for its originality and relevance...a book about words, about language, about their power to civilise - and, in the wrong hands, to abuse and dehumanise. For a writer to deal with such themes it is the most basic of requirements that she herself should handle words in a manner which exploits their potential richness and resonance. Forde rises magnificently to the c
Robert Dunbar, The Irish Times